Today, I thought I would offer up some thoughts on the Justice League. I like the idea of a Justice League, but I haven't always liked the Justice League comic books.
I like some of the classic tales from the first incarnation of the book -- Justice League of America. The idea of all these heroes banding together to fight the menaces that no one hero could handle alone. Several issues from that 20-year series are great ones.
I didn't care as much for the re-launch after Crisis on Infinite Earths -- Justice League -- or it's subsequent variations Justice League of America, Justice League America (no of), Justice League Europe, Justice League International, etc. I picked up story arcs here and there, but nothign consistently during this time.
I loved Grant Morrison's re-launch -- JLA -- in the 1990s. He returned the book to greatness with his return to the main characters of the DC Universe and his epic adventures.
The most recent relaunch of the title has been somewhat hit-and-miss for me. Back with the original name, Justice League of America, the title has had some truly great arcs, especially those penned by Dwayne McDuffie, whose run as writer of the book was all-too brief and hindered by inter-company crossovers. And I'm curious to see where the newest issues will go with this "replacement" League where Dick Grayson is Batman, and other members include Starfire, Troia and Cyborg. What can I say, the Titans fan in me is a little bit "geeked" to see so many Titans graduating into the League, even if we all know it'll only be temporary.
I'm also kind of liking the different take presented by James Robinson in Cry for Justice. The title has taken a lot of online bashing, and I don't agree with absolutely every scene. For instance, in issue No. 4, the Atom and Green Arrow are arguing over methodology. Green Arrow says, "This isn't you. This isn't the Ray Palmer that was my friend." The Atom responds, "My journey is MY journey. And I've got news for you: we may have been colleagues, but we were never friends."
This is a small example, but I think those words are a little strong for how I see these characters. They ARE friends. They may not always see eye to eye. They may disagree and even argue, but they ARE friends. But I can also live with the Atom saying this in the heat of an argument. How many times have we all said something we didn't mean or even later regretted during an argument. I'm liking this story because it treats these characters like real adults, not stereotypes or goody-goody two-dimensional characters.
And Cry for Justice is my idea of a great Justice league story because Justice League should be an event comic. I don't mean every issue has to be an over-hyped mess or have a zillion crossovers. In fact, these days, it would be more of an event not to have all of that. But Justice League should involve a story or threat so great that it justifies bringing several heroes together.
That doesn't mean you can't tell a small, character-driven story. Look at Morrison's run to dispell that silly notion. Each of his arcs involved huge events that demanded Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and more to all be involved, but he also had great bits of character development and story along the way. But very few of those stories involved a thief or a purse-snatcher. They involved events that called for a Justice League, and that's what made readers take notice of his run. Morrison's run didn't return the League to greatness by bringing the focus back to the big seven; he did it by bringing back a reason for the big seven to be involved.
Robinson doesn't have the big seven in his book, but his tale seems to get the event worthy of the League right. Here's hoping his upcoming run as scribe for the title will live up to the promise Cry for Justice makes.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
And Now For Something A Little Different
We're not going to discuss a comic book today, but rather a coffee-table style volume about comic books -- specifically, DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes by Les Daniels.
Doing the math will tell you that this book was published in 1995, and it follows the publishing history of the company that today is known as DC Comics. To be sure, there is quite a bit of information about the early days of comic books and men like Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Whitney Ellsworth, Vin Sullivan, Harry Donenfed, Jack Liebowitz, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jerry Robinson and many more.
The book details the origins of DC icons Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, as well as the Justice League, Green Lantern, the Flash and Hawkman. It also covers the radio, serial, television, film, stage and merchandising incarnations of those heroes, as well.
The book includes information on comic book genres beyond superheroes such as funny animals, westerns, television and motion picture celebrities, mysteries, science fiction, war and horror.
It covers related topics such as the comics code, relevant comics, the creation of Vertigo and the birth of event comics.
As a coffee-table book, many of these topics are covered in an abbreviated style, so other books might offer a more complete history than this tome does. But what this book lacks in depth it more than makes up for with the hundreds of large full-color illustrations that adorn its pages. From individual comic panels to entire reprinted comic pages and photos gallore of actors and comic-themed memorabilia, the true draw of this book is its art! Check it out if you have the chance.
Doing the math will tell you that this book was published in 1995, and it follows the publishing history of the company that today is known as DC Comics. To be sure, there is quite a bit of information about the early days of comic books and men like Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Whitney Ellsworth, Vin Sullivan, Harry Donenfed, Jack Liebowitz, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jerry Robinson and many more.
The book details the origins of DC icons Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, as well as the Justice League, Green Lantern, the Flash and Hawkman. It also covers the radio, serial, television, film, stage and merchandising incarnations of those heroes, as well.
The book includes information on comic book genres beyond superheroes such as funny animals, westerns, television and motion picture celebrities, mysteries, science fiction, war and horror.
It covers related topics such as the comics code, relevant comics, the creation of Vertigo and the birth of event comics.
As a coffee-table book, many of these topics are covered in an abbreviated style, so other books might offer a more complete history than this tome does. But what this book lacks in depth it more than makes up for with the hundreds of large full-color illustrations that adorn its pages. From individual comic panels to entire reprinted comic pages and photos gallore of actors and comic-themed memorabilia, the true draw of this book is its art! Check it out if you have the chance.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Audiences May Be Blown Away, But Not In A Good Way
Today, we're going to combine purposes just a bit. We're still going to be looking at a recent comic read, but this one also has the distinction of being made into a movie that will be coming to a theater near you in April. Whether or not that ends up being a good thing remains to be seen.
Let me start off by saying that I'm going to try to keep specific plot spoilers to a minimum. The comic contains many twists and turns that I found genuinely surprising when I read them, and if the movie stays true to the inspiration -- which most accounts credit it for doing -- I don't want to spoil those for anyone seeing the story for the first time. But there is one major "reveal" that I think the general public needs to be let in on ahead of time.
I recently received my copy of the much delayed final issue of Kick-Ass, the Marvel Icon book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. This final book has come out so much later than the first seven issues, in fact, that I re-read the entire series, just to refresh my memory. I enjoyed re-reading the earlier issues just as much the second time around, so make no mistake, I think this is an excellent comic created by two greats in their fields who know how to utilize this medium to great effect. Millar weaves a great story with believable characters that an audience can come to care about quickly. And Romita is perfect to illustrate the gritty tale Millar weaves. And make no mistake, this story is VERY gritty, grisly, almost painful to witness at times for its graphic violence.
That's right, I said graphic violence. Now, this revelation isn't a surprise to anyone who's read the book. Far from it as the graphic nature of the story was disclosed up-front in the solicitations for the book. That's where I fear the movie is going to generate problems and hurt itself, and possibly the medium, as well.
Let's take a minute and review the basic plot for anyone not familiar with it. Kick-Ass is Dave Lizewski, a high school student who frequently describes himself as "not the class jock or the class geek. Not the class clown or class genius or class anything." He is a fan of movies, video games and superhero comic books -- a fan who wonders why no real people ever got the idea to put on a mask and costume and hit the streets looking for wrongs to right. When Dave can't come up with a good answer to that "why not" question, he decides to give it a try.
Things don't go spectacularly well on Dave's first outting, except for the fact that he manages to save someone's life. So he continues to go out in costume, discovering others who are doing the same thing. Sound about like what you'd expect so far? Well, keep in mind that this comic's creators are trying to keep the story firmly grounded in the "real world." So, when someone gets punched or kicked or slammed into a wall, foes fight back, flesh yields, and bones break. Also bear in mind that in the "real world" not everyone has the same values. Not everyone would have a problem employing lethal force for the "greater good." In fact, some folks might thrill at a permanent solution to criminals.
I've seen the trailers for this movie being shown in the theaters right now. They are playing up the "fun" aspects of the book, which are very much present. Dave sets out to be a superhero because he thinks superheroes are cool. I do, too, so who am I to argue? But there's more to this young man's story than fun. Things which might not be appropriate for young children to watch.
Yes, this film has an R rating, and, if the film stays true to the book, that rating will be deserved. But potential viewers don't always pay attention to the ratings. Some parents might find the R rating puzzling if they see the fun superhero trailers being shown. So they bring their children to the film anyway and subject the tykes to some pretty horrible deaths and dismemberments.
There are too many folks still out there in the world who view comic books as only children's fare. These folks fly into a rage of righteous indignation when they encounter adult themes and mistakenly believe such comics are being sold to children instead of realizing that comics -- like almost any other medium -- have many different categories of stories geared for many different audiences.
Can you imagine what these folks will think when this movie, after being marketed as a fun superhero film, turns out to be a bloodbath of mayhem in their eyes?
This is the kind of backlash I fear from the way the Kick-Ass film is being marketed right now. Without any regard for whether the film is good, I'm afraid it is going to be attacked for being unfit. I hope time proves me wrong, but that's my concern.
Let me start off by saying that I'm going to try to keep specific plot spoilers to a minimum. The comic contains many twists and turns that I found genuinely surprising when I read them, and if the movie stays true to the inspiration -- which most accounts credit it for doing -- I don't want to spoil those for anyone seeing the story for the first time. But there is one major "reveal" that I think the general public needs to be let in on ahead of time.
I recently received my copy of the much delayed final issue of Kick-Ass, the Marvel Icon book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. This final book has come out so much later than the first seven issues, in fact, that I re-read the entire series, just to refresh my memory. I enjoyed re-reading the earlier issues just as much the second time around, so make no mistake, I think this is an excellent comic created by two greats in their fields who know how to utilize this medium to great effect. Millar weaves a great story with believable characters that an audience can come to care about quickly. And Romita is perfect to illustrate the gritty tale Millar weaves. And make no mistake, this story is VERY gritty, grisly, almost painful to witness at times for its graphic violence.
That's right, I said graphic violence. Now, this revelation isn't a surprise to anyone who's read the book. Far from it as the graphic nature of the story was disclosed up-front in the solicitations for the book. That's where I fear the movie is going to generate problems and hurt itself, and possibly the medium, as well.
Let's take a minute and review the basic plot for anyone not familiar with it. Kick-Ass is Dave Lizewski, a high school student who frequently describes himself as "not the class jock or the class geek. Not the class clown or class genius or class anything." He is a fan of movies, video games and superhero comic books -- a fan who wonders why no real people ever got the idea to put on a mask and costume and hit the streets looking for wrongs to right. When Dave can't come up with a good answer to that "why not" question, he decides to give it a try.
Things don't go spectacularly well on Dave's first outting, except for the fact that he manages to save someone's life. So he continues to go out in costume, discovering others who are doing the same thing. Sound about like what you'd expect so far? Well, keep in mind that this comic's creators are trying to keep the story firmly grounded in the "real world." So, when someone gets punched or kicked or slammed into a wall, foes fight back, flesh yields, and bones break. Also bear in mind that in the "real world" not everyone has the same values. Not everyone would have a problem employing lethal force for the "greater good." In fact, some folks might thrill at a permanent solution to criminals.
I've seen the trailers for this movie being shown in the theaters right now. They are playing up the "fun" aspects of the book, which are very much present. Dave sets out to be a superhero because he thinks superheroes are cool. I do, too, so who am I to argue? But there's more to this young man's story than fun. Things which might not be appropriate for young children to watch.
Yes, this film has an R rating, and, if the film stays true to the book, that rating will be deserved. But potential viewers don't always pay attention to the ratings. Some parents might find the R rating puzzling if they see the fun superhero trailers being shown. So they bring their children to the film anyway and subject the tykes to some pretty horrible deaths and dismemberments.
There are too many folks still out there in the world who view comic books as only children's fare. These folks fly into a rage of righteous indignation when they encounter adult themes and mistakenly believe such comics are being sold to children instead of realizing that comics -- like almost any other medium -- have many different categories of stories geared for many different audiences.
Can you imagine what these folks will think when this movie, after being marketed as a fun superhero film, turns out to be a bloodbath of mayhem in their eyes?
This is the kind of backlash I fear from the way the Kick-Ass film is being marketed right now. Without any regard for whether the film is good, I'm afraid it is going to be attacked for being unfit. I hope time proves me wrong, but that's my concern.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
To Boldly Go ... Somewhere
Gold Key Star Trek collections 2 -- These are just fun collections!
I remember seeing some of these comics when I was younger, but for whatever reason never actually read one. I can't imagine why I wouldn't have tried, were it possible for me to, as I've always been a fan of TOS. (That's The Original Series for any non-Trekkies reading.) Maybe the books I saw were always in places where they weren't actually for sale.
Whatever the reason, I was always curious about them. As I got older and started collecting comics, Gold Key issues were rare and often expensive when copies could be found.
For those who don't know, Gold Key/Dell included some great original comic titles like Turok, Son of Stone, but the publishing company was best known for its licensed characters based off of popular television properties. Many of the early creators who worked on these books were foreigners, however, often painfully unfamiliar with the television shows the comics were supposed to be based on.
American fans of Star Trek's initial three-year run were likely puzzled by these books about a Starship Enterprise that had fire and exhaust shooting out the back end of its warp nacelles and shuttlecraft bay and that could physically land on planets the crew encountered. Inside the Enterprise, Capt. James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy didn't always act exactly "in character," but much worse were the blond-haired engineer Mr. Scott and the often excitable Mr. Spock whose pointed Vulcan ears seemed to have grown to twice — or even three times — their normal size.
Hearing stories about these strange characterizations made me leery of spending too much money on something I might not really care for, but my curiosity for these books remained. Several years ago, Checker Book Publishing collected these stories in some nice trade paperback collections. The nice collected price prompted me to finally decide to give these stories a try, and I'm glad I did.
Many of the early stories, while not quite featuring the starship crew I was familiar with, still were quite engaging and creative. In addition, the learning curve of the creators was faster than one might have expected. Changes began to be made to add other familiar characters like Uhura and Sulu, and Mrs. Spock and Scott slowly began to morph closer to their on-screen portrayals. Also, the popularity of both the show and this comic book series led to American creators more familiar with the franchise being hired to write the stories.
Even by the end of this second collection, these stories seem to be about some parallel dimension or alternate universe version of the familiar characters, but let's face it —- parallel dimensions and alternate universes are not so much of a stretch for anyone who's been reading comics or science fiction for any length of time. And the quality of these stories makes them well worth the cost of these nice trades. Beam aboard; you'll be glad you did.
I remember seeing some of these comics when I was younger, but for whatever reason never actually read one. I can't imagine why I wouldn't have tried, were it possible for me to, as I've always been a fan of TOS. (That's The Original Series for any non-Trekkies reading.) Maybe the books I saw were always in places where they weren't actually for sale.
Whatever the reason, I was always curious about them. As I got older and started collecting comics, Gold Key issues were rare and often expensive when copies could be found.
For those who don't know, Gold Key/Dell included some great original comic titles like Turok, Son of Stone, but the publishing company was best known for its licensed characters based off of popular television properties. Many of the early creators who worked on these books were foreigners, however, often painfully unfamiliar with the television shows the comics were supposed to be based on.
American fans of Star Trek's initial three-year run were likely puzzled by these books about a Starship Enterprise that had fire and exhaust shooting out the back end of its warp nacelles and shuttlecraft bay and that could physically land on planets the crew encountered. Inside the Enterprise, Capt. James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy didn't always act exactly "in character," but much worse were the blond-haired engineer Mr. Scott and the often excitable Mr. Spock whose pointed Vulcan ears seemed to have grown to twice — or even three times — their normal size.
Hearing stories about these strange characterizations made me leery of spending too much money on something I might not really care for, but my curiosity for these books remained. Several years ago, Checker Book Publishing collected these stories in some nice trade paperback collections. The nice collected price prompted me to finally decide to give these stories a try, and I'm glad I did.
Many of the early stories, while not quite featuring the starship crew I was familiar with, still were quite engaging and creative. In addition, the learning curve of the creators was faster than one might have expected. Changes began to be made to add other familiar characters like Uhura and Sulu, and Mrs. Spock and Scott slowly began to morph closer to their on-screen portrayals. Also, the popularity of both the show and this comic book series led to American creators more familiar with the franchise being hired to write the stories.
Even by the end of this second collection, these stories seem to be about some parallel dimension or alternate universe version of the familiar characters, but let's face it —- parallel dimensions and alternate universes are not so much of a stretch for anyone who's been reading comics or science fiction for any length of time. And the quality of these stories makes them well worth the cost of these nice trades. Beam aboard; you'll be glad you did.
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